City to Demolish Eden Prairie House Teetering on Edge of Washed-Out Hill

Updated: 06/03/2014 7:24 AM KSTP.com
By: Scott Theisen

Photo: Photo: Rod Reynolds

An Eden Prairie home teetering on a washed-out hill in a neighborhood on Burr Ridge Lane is now slated to be demolished.

The Eden Prairie City Council held an emergency meeting Monday morning and voted to buy the house from the homeowners after several inches of rain and a storm sewer failure led to erosion, causing topsoil to slide down a 90-foot hill Sunday. At 2 a.m. Monday, the three-season porch and deck detached from the home and also fell down the hill.

Everyone got out OK, but the homeowners have to move out so demolition can begin sometime this week.

"It's like watching a movie; it's surreal that, I mean it's unbelievable, to know that just a few days ago we were walking our dog in that very spot that's now gone and just all the time we've spent there and it's literally gone," homeowner Revie Zurn said.

Zurn says they have been concerned about the land over the past couple of years, and neighbors even made reports to the city.

"... Sad about the circumstances and disappointment in the lack of proactivity in getting this resolved, but I think the emotions are going to come later when we get past the crisis mode," Zurn said.

The city will also pay the homeowners fair-market value for the house, and the owner's relocation costs.

Workers were using excavators Monday to haul loads of dirt onto the hillside to fill in the hole.

"The city will take possession of it, the house will be demolished, and we'll use that property to fill in the erosion area and actually put in a much larger drainage system with much more capacity. We just don't ever want to come back to this neighborhood with any future problems," said Robert Ellis, Eden Prairie Public Works Director.

Eden Prairie's Public Works department will be out working for the next six to eight weeks, trying to build the hill back up and plant vegetation that will help keep it from getting too saturated by rains.

More than 3 inches of rain fell in the area, according to KSTP meteorologist Dave Dahl. In Apple Valley, 4.2 inches of rain fell; 4.16 inches were recorded at Flying Cloud Airport, 4 inches in Cottage Grove, 3.83 in Shakopee, 3.7 in Maple Grove, and 3.70 inches in Jordan.